Flat-iron rest or holder



(No Model.)

' A. A1JSAWYE-RV FLAT IRON REST 0R. HOLDER.

o. 514,500. Patented Feb.13,1894.

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@Wadm v ATTORNEY.

UNITED STATES PATENT union.

ALBERT? A. SAWYER, OF GANDY, NEBRASKA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO WILLIAM IV. NUGENT, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

FLAT-IRON REST OR HOLDER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 514,500, dated February 13, 1894;.

Application fil d January 3, 1893. Serial No, 457,008. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ALBERT A. SAWYER, a citizen of the United States, residing at G-andy, in the county of Logan and State of Nebraska, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Bests or Holders for Flat-Irons and Similar Articles, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying 1drawings, forming a part of this specifica- My invention relates to holders or rests for sad-irons, polishing-irons, flitting-irons, hattersf-irons, tailors gooses, and all similar ironmg lmplements, and more particularly to that class of holders or rests which are attached to the irons, as distinguished from those rests or holders which are wholly separate from the lIODS.

The primary objects of my invention are to produce a rest or holder which shall be capable of attachment to a great variety of ironing-implements, which shall automatically assume its operative or supporting position and retain such position as long as desired; and which can be readily shifted out of operative position and so retained by the user as long as desired without in any way interfering with the usual manipulations ofthe irons. Furthermore, to produce a rest or holder which, in addition to the advantages above enumerated, shall be simple, strong, durable and inexpensive in construction, reliable in its operation and not liable to derangement of its parts.

To the above purposes, my invention consists in certain peculiar and novel features of construction and arrangement, as hereinafter described and claimed.

The more precise nature of my invention willbe better understood when described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is aside elevation of what is known as a Potts flat-iron with a rest or holder embodying my invention, applied thereto; the rest or holder being in its operative or supporting position. Fig. 2 is also aside elevation of the iron and its rest or holder; the latter being shown out of its supporting position. Fig. 3 is an end elevation of the iron and its holder or rest, the latter being in supporting position. Fig. dis a side elevation of the rest or holder detached from the .iron. Fig. 5 is a plan view of the same. Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a modified construction of one member of the rest or holder detached from the iron. Fig. 7 is a view in front elevation, of a fragment of a fiat-iron handle and an adjacent portion of one member of the holder, showing a modified form of returningspring for the rest or holder members. Fig. 8 is a detached view, in side elevation, of an end-portion of the handle of the iron, showing a modified form of returning spring for the supporting-members. Fig. 9 is a detached view, in side elevation, of a part of one of the supporting-members having a counterweight applied thereto.

In the said drawings, A designates the body and B the handle of what is known in the trade as a Potts fiat-iron, such general type of iron being shown and described, for example, in United States Letters Patent No. 113,4 i8, granted April at, 1871, to Mary F. Potts, it being the essential peculiarity of such flat'irons that the handle is detachable from the body of the iron. While I have shown and will describe the holder or rest as applied to this Potts flat-iron, I desire it to be clearly understood that the rest or holder is equally adapted for application to various other types of irons and similar implements, including such as I have enumerated above, and also to such implement-s as have either detachable or non-detachable handles.

The rest or holder embodying my present invention consists essentially of two generally similar members D and E which are preferably pivotally connected to the handle of I the iron and which are connected together by a link-bar which causes the two members to simultaneously and similarly move,upon their pivots, out of and into supporting-position, and which are, furthermore, also provided with a spring for automatically returning the two members to their supporting position, after they have been released from their nonsupporting position.

As shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3, 4., and 5, the two members D and E are each formed from a single piece of sufficiently stout wire which is ICO bent to form the several parts of each memher. The member D is formed with a lower cross-bar or foot (I which, when the member is in its supporting position, extends transversely beneath the bottom of the body A of the iron and a suitable distance away from one end of such body. To the ends of this cross-bar or foot 01 are integrally united two legs d which, in the supporting-position of the member, extend upward adjacent to the opposite sides of one end of the body A and which at their upper ends are bent inwardly over the top of the body A, so as to approach the adjacent end-portion of the handle B. At the inner ends of these inwardly bent portions, the legs d are each so bent as to form an eye-d through which two eyes are inserted two screws 01 which enter opposite sides of the adjacent end of the handle and which con- Stitute the pivots upon which the member D swings out of and into its supporting position; it being obvious that studs or any equiv alent devices to the screws (1 may be employed to connect the member D to the handle. Above its eye (1 one of the legs d is prolonged upwardly so as to form a thumb-piece d for a purpose to be presently explained.

The companion-member E of the rest is quite similar, in its general construction, to the member D just described; said member E consisting of a lower cross-bar or foot 6 which, when the member is in its supporting-position, extends transverselybeneath the bottom of the body A of the iron, and a suitable distance away from the correspond ing end of such body. To the ends of this cross-bar or foot 8 are integrally united two legs 6' which, in the supporting-position of the member, extend upward adjacent to the opposite sides of the corresponding end of the body A and which at their upper ends are bent inwardly over the top of the body A, so as to approach the adjacent end-portion of the handle B. At the inner ends of these inwardly bent portions, the legs 6 are each so bentas to form an eye e through which two eyes are inserted two screws e or equivalent devices projecting from opposite sides of the corresponding end of the handle B; these screws constituting the pivots upon which the member E swings out of and into its supporting-position. Above its eye e one leg e is prolonged upwardly to form an arm 6 for a purpose to be presently explained. It will thus be seen that the two members D and E are located at opposite ends of the flat-iron, and that when said members are in their supporting-position, their feet or cross-bars d and e extend beneath the opposite ends of the body-A and sustain said body at a proper distance above the table or other object upon which the fiat-iron may be placed.

The two members D and E of the support are connected together by a link-rod F which isalso preferably of stout wire and one end of which is suitably secured to the upper end of the arm e while the opposite end of said link is suitably secured to the leg cl, at the corresponding side of the body A; this oppoposite end of the link-rod being connected to said leg below the eye d thereof. The arrangement is such that when the member D is swung upward and outward, its movements shall be communicated through the link-rod F to the member E; moving said member simultaneously and similarly upward. Likewise, when the member D is moved downward and inward, the link-rod F causes the member E to simultaneously move downward and inward.

The two members D and E of the support, are, furthermore, connected together by a spiral spring G one end of which is connected to one leg d of the member D at apoint just below its pivot d and the other end ofwhich is connected to the corresponding leg 2 of the member E at a point just below its pivot e When the two members D and E are moved upward and outward, the spring G is expanded lengthwise, and when said members are released by the user, the spring G contracts longitudinally and automatically throws the members D and E downward-and inward into their supporting position. At the completion of the downward and inward movement of the members D and E one of; said members may strike a suitable stop, so

as to prevent excessive inward movement of the members. For example, I have shown a screw g as projecting outward from one side of that end of the handle B to which the member D is pivoted; said screw being struck by the arm d ofthe member D when the members have fully assumed their supporting position.

I have shown two socketsI and Jas formed in the side of the body A, neartheends thereof, and in such position as to receive the pivots d, 6 when it is desired to connect the rest or holder directly to the body of the iron, instead of to the handle.

The user grasps the handle B, in the usual manner, for manipulating the iron', and, when it is desired to move the members D and E out of supporting position, the user presses with the thumb of the hand which grasps the handle B, upon the thumb-piece d moving said thumb-piece downward and inward and swinging the members D and E outward and upward. The pressure of the thumb upon the thumb-piece 61 may be continued so long as it is desired to retain the members D and E out of supporting-position, and when it is desired that the members D and E return to their supporting position, the user may simply remove his thumb from contact with the thumb-piece; the spring F then instantly throwing the members D and E downward and inward to their supporting position. If desired, the thumb-piece d may be depressed to such an extent as to bring the points of connection of the ends of the spring G into horizontal alignment with or slightly above the pivots 01 a of the members D and E (as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2). In this event, the spring B will retain the members D and E in their raised or non-su pportin g position until the arm d is slightly raised by the users thumb, whereupon the spring F will automatically swing the members D and lid downward into supporting-position as beore. iVhile it is desirable to form the members I) and E of wire, as above described, it is not absolutely necessary that they be so formed. For example, such members may be formed of sheet-metal, if preferred,and in Fig. 6 I have shown one of the members as so formed. This member H (which may correspond either to the member D or E) is formed with a crossbar or foot it, two upwardly extending legs 72. bent inwardly at their upper ends, and one leg being provided with a hole or eye 72. to receive one end of thespring G. Just above the inner ends of their inwardly extending portions, the legs h are bent upwardly and are formed with holes or eyes k to receive the pivots d or 6 and at its upper end one of the legs h is prolonged upwardly to form an arm 72. corresponding either with the thumb-piece (Z or with the arm e as the case may be. In any event, moreover, the spring G may be dispensed with and a spring G may be used in lieu thereof; this spring either surrounding one of the pivots 61 as indicated in Fig. 7, and pressing downward upon one of the legs cl (or h), or it may surround one of the pivots e and press downward upon one of the legs e. Or two or even four such springs may be used if desired. Furthermore, if desired, both the springs G and G may be dispensed with and a pair of springs G, may be used in lieu thereof. In Fig. 8, I have shown one of these springs G, connected at its upper end to one of the endportions of the handle B of the implement, and at its lower end to one of the supportingmembers at a point below the pivot at the upper end thereof; the intention being obviously to provide a precisely similar spring for the companion supporting-member. Thus when the members D and E are moved out of supporting position the springs G will be distended, and when the members D and E are released, these springs will act contractively to return said members D and E to their supporting position. As a still furthermodification of my invention, I have shown in Fig. 9 a counterweight G as attached to one of the supportingunembers below the pivot at the upper end thereof; such weight being adapted to throw the supporting-members downward into supporting-position, after such members have been released by the user. The intention is to apply another weight to the companion supporting-member, and either to the legs d or it or e, as preferred. Obviously the springsv G may be used either in conjunction with the springG or in lieu of the latter, and the weights G may be used either in conjunction with the spring G or springs G, or in lieu thereof, as preferred.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new therein, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A holder or rest for flat-irons and similar articles, comprising a pair of members designed to be pivotally connected to opposite parts of an iron and provided with means for automatically throwing the members into supporting position, substantially as set forth.

2. A holder or rest for fiat-irons and similar articles, comprising apairot' members linked together and designed to be pivotally connected to opposite parts of an iron, and provided with means for automatically throwing the members into supporting position, substantially as set forth.

3. A rest or holder for fiat-irons and similar articles, comprising a pair of spring-pressed members designed to be pivotally connected to opposite parts of an iron; the spring pressure serving to automatically throw the members into supporting-position, substantially as set forth.

4. A rest or holder for flat-irons and similar articles, comprising a pair of spring-pressed members linked together and designed to be pivotally connected to opposite parts of an iron, the spring pressure serving to automatically move the members into supporting-position, substantially as set forth.

ALBERT A. SAWYER.

Witnesses:

FLORA L. BROWN, Geo. L. Mvnns. 

